It is to be appreciated that any discussion or documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the present invention. Further, the discussion throughout this specification comes about due to the realization of the inventor or the identification of certain related art problems by the inventor. Moreover, any discussion of material such as documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention in terms of the inventor's knowledge and experience and, accordingly, any such discussion should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia, or elsewhere, on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein.
Many travelers are required to sit upright for long periods of time. Due to seating arrangements and space constraints they are unable to lay horizontal or near horizontal to facilitate comfortable sleeping. Often this results in tiredness, pain and discomfort with negative affect on the traveler's health and wellbeing.
Similarly, the nature and environment of travel provides vibration, bumps, noise and other interruptions to rest or sleep that are not usually experienced in a resting or sleeping environment. In an effort to gain extra comfort, travelers typically use U shaped pillows or adjustable flaps built into an airline seat to support the head from falling left, right or to the rear. However these devices rely on the head and body to be oriented rearward, resting on the seat back and they will not stop the head from falling forwards.
In an attempt to find a comfortable position when seated an airline traveler may try leaning forward and bracing their head in their hands. This is not sustainable as the arms relax as the traveler falls asleep and the brace collapses. Similarly a traveler may rest their head on a stack of pillows or other makeshift support items on an outwardly folded tray table, however this position may not be particularly comfortable for a sustainable period. Some devices, such as the device described in U.S. patent application 2003/0167571 provides a support that rests upon a tray table extending from the back of an airline seat so that a traveler to sit in a relatively forward upright position. However these types of devices are often unsuitable in confined spaces, such as the economy section of an aircraft because they are large in volume and cumbersome. Furthermore, devices of the prior art that require support from the tray table fixed to the seat of a passenger in front typically move if the passenger in front moves. This tends to disturb the traveler using the support.
Sustaining a seated position for extended periods is not only uncomfortable but can cause neck injuries or soreness to the traveler. In particular, sleep or comfortable rest can be difficult to achieve in aircraft when a traveler is required to sit in a relatively upright position in an environment that is noisy, vibrating and punctuated by disturbances due to aircraft movement and the activities of passengers or crew.
Given the nature of upright and seated travel, travelers may also take sleeping pills or similar and such drugs may cause drowsiness or other side effects. In the case of an emergency these side effects may limit the traveler's ability to react appropriately to avoid injury or life threatening situations.
In addition, travelers often use miscellaneous aids such as headphones, ear plugs, eye masks and other items. Travellers often pack such aids into carry-on baggage that is stored in overhead lockers or under their seat making them inconvenient to access. Furthermore, the aids often become lost, disorganized or are simply inconvenient to carry.